Saladin's Gift
by DoctorWhovian11and10
Summary: Ian has forgotten about Amy. Then he finds an email from her in his inbox saying that Saladin ran away. He begins to try to find her... I own in no way the 39 Clues series. Enjoy!
1. The Email

"Ian," thirteen-year-old Natalie Kabra reprimanded loudly, "you can stop with the polo game for about three minutes to eat _dinner_ for once!"

Ian Kabra scoffed on the back of his cream-colored polo pony. He'd lost games two times in a row last week. He intended to crush the other team today.

"The ball!" he muttered, smoothing his night-black hair against his head. Ian maneuvered his horse towards the oncoming ball and hit it cleanly between the goalposts.

"Yay, Ian!" Natalie cheered from the sidelines. "But it's time for dinner, you twit!"

Ian dismounted, ignoring the offers for high-fives from his teammates. He handed his horse's reins to a waiting servant, and another servant escorted the spoiled sixteen-year-old into the grand dining room. Ian's polished shoes clicked against the marble floor. He spied Natalie sitting at the far end of the table and sat down next to her.

"Did you enjoy the game?" the girl asked primly.

"It was satisfying," Ian replied, checking his silver watch. "I thought you said it was dinnertime. The food hasn't arrived yet."  
"I bloody well know," Natalie responded tautly. "I don't know what's taking so long."

The food finally arrived. _Caviar,_ Ian thought hungrily. The children devoured their meals, not speaking to each other.

"Oh, Ian," Natalie said at one point, her fork in the air, "I suppose you might want to check your email when we finish eating. There's a, erm, _letter_." She smiled evilly.

Ian shook his head in distaste. _Sisters_.

Even so, when he was finished with his food, he went upstairs to his bedroom and grabbed his Macbook Air from his desk, bringing it to his silk bed. He opened the computer and logged into his email curiously.

_Inbox (3 emails unread):_

_Sender: Sophia Ryan, Subject: Your New Steinway Piano_

_Sender: Amy Cahill, Subject: Saladin is lost!_

_Sender: Tom Jones, Subject: High Society Dinner Tomorrow_

Ian quickly glanced at the subjects, then the senders. His eye caught on one particular name: Amy Cahill. Was this what Natalie was talking about? Ian groaned. Natalie was always joking about how Ian had _almost_ fallen for this Cahill girl two years ago. He didn't know what he had been thinking, associating with...a _commoner._

Yet, Ian thought about her again. Her blonde-brown hair, cascading over her shoulders into her face, the way she stuttered when she spoke to him, her little ninja brother, Dan.

Ian clicked on the email. He noticed it was sent to all of the Cahills Amy and Dan knew. The email read read:

_Hello, Cahills,_

_It's been awhile._

_But I'm emailing because Dan and my cat, Saladin, ran away yesterday, and we haven't been able to find him since. Please be on the lookout for him! He is an Egyptian Mau - all grey-white with dark spots all over him so he looks like a snow leopard. He loves Red Snapper, and he says, "Mrrrp," a lot._

_Please help Dan and me find our cat! It means a lot to us. Saladin is the one reminder Dan and I have of Grace._

_Thank you!_

_~Amy and Dan Cahill_

Ian sighed. The siblings had gotten their annoying feline lost. And they expected Ian to go looking for it?

Ian felt a strange sense of determination rise in him. He picked up his cell phone from his bedside table and dialed Inspector Blackhorn's number.

"Hello, Mr. Kabra," Blackhorn muttered into the phone

"Blackhorn," Ian replied. "I have a job for you. In America. A girl I know...her cat is missing." Ian gave the inspector a description of Saladin.

"Sir," Blackhorn said after a moment. "I am a fully qualified inspector. I worked for Scotland Yard. You want me to use my expertise to find a _cat_?"

Ian lowered his head, grudgingly thinking about Amy. Then he said, "Yes."


	2. Evan Tolliver

Amy Cahill sat forlornly by her window, staring out into the pristine summer landscape of her backyard. She thought sadly about Saladin, Grace's poor cat, lost somewhere in Boston. Dan the ninja was halfheartedly picking at his plastic sword on the love chair next to her.

"What are we gonna do, Amy?" he asked, his voice small.

"I sent out the email yesterday," Amy replied, trying to keep her voice from shaking for Dan's sake. Her thirteen-year-old brother wasn't often scared. "I sent it to all of the Cahills. Ham, Sinead, Fiske, Jonah, Natalie and…Ian…" Amy's voice trailed off.

Dan allowed himself to snort. "You sent it to the 'Cobras'?"

Amy nodded, not smiling.

Nellie Gomez walked in, her ear buds in. The ever-faithful au pair danced to her Metallica music. Her hair was dyed blue and purple. Upon seeing her two young charges looking so depressed, she paused, pulling the buds out.

"C'mon, you two," Nellie said. "Lighten up! Why don't we go bowling or something fun today? And then dinner? I'm kinda in the mood for Chinese food."

Amy glanced at Nellie. "Saladin's missing, Nellie. Dan and I are worried."

"Hey," Nellie said softly, going to sit next to Amy, "that cat has super powers. He'll find his way home! Besides, don't cats run away a lot? They always come back. They have a compass attached to their brains or something."

Dan nodded, but Amy could sense he wasn't so sure. Amy tried to cheer herself up. "Dan," she asked, "let's go bowling. There's no use just sitting around here and moping. Let's hang out with Nellie."

Dan glanced at Amy and Nellie. Amy could see him giving in. "Okay," he said. "Then we'll have Chinese. Saladin will probably be back by the time we come home."

Later, the threesome was at dinner, laughing about a random joke about snakes Dan had just told.

"And the guy just walked away?" Amy giggled. Suddenly, she felt her phone vibrate against her leg. She pulled the phone out, glancing at the name on the screen. Her heart stopped.

"Uh, guys?" she said to Nellie and Dan, "I have to take this call."

Amy stood and hurried to the bathroom. She flipped the phone open and held it to her ear.

"…Evan?" she said quietly.

"Hi, Amy," Evan replied.

Evan Tolliver. Amy's ex-boyfriend. Dark blue eyes, combed ginger hair, those big glasses that outlined his face. A brain encompassing everything from the French Revolution to photosynthesis. The two had broken up when Amy discovered that she no longer cared for him as a boyfriend. The most she felt for him was friendship, now. Although, sometimes, she wasn't so sure. Sometimes she wondered what would happen if she and Evan were still together. He had been an amazing boyfriend – caring, kind, loving. Sure, he wasn't too fond of Dan, but then, who was?

Evan cleared his throat. "Long time no talk," he said.

Amy said nothing, her eyes filling with tears. _Stop that_, she scolded herself. _It's no use crying about Evan, especially if you were the one who ended our relationship._ She wiped her eyes.

"How are you?" Evan asked, his voice reassuring.

"G-good," Amy replied, unconsciously reverting to her stutter. "You?"

"I'm fine, thanks…how's Dan?"

"He's g-good."

They were making pointless small talk, Amy knew. They were trying to avoid the topic Evan would eventually bring up, the topic he always brought up every time they spoke to each other since last month.

"Amy," Evan started. "I…I can't stop thinking about you."

Amy felt a tear make its way down her face. "We c-can't, Evan," she replied. "_I_ can't. I c-can't d-do this anymore."

"I'm sorry Amy," Evan said remorsefully. "I'm sorry for doing this to you. But…I can't ignore my feelings."

"Please, Evan," Amy said, her voice growing louder, "leave m-me alone! I don't want to t-talk about this anymore! I want you to g-go and find another girl, a girl who'll like you b-back! I like you, Evan, but n-not in _that_ way. And I can't be with you if my heart's n-not in it." Amy took a breath and pulled at a lock of her reddish-brown hair, trying to calm herself down.

Evan paused for a long time, thinking, probably. "I respect how you feel, Amy," he said, and suddenly Amy was reminded of the kindness and intelligence that had lured her towards Evan. "I want you to be happy. This sounds cheesy…but I can't imagine you, or even myself with someone else. But I want you to be happy with whoever you're with." Evan took a breath, then let it out heavily. "Just…be careful, okay? Don't find yourself falling for someone like…someone like that Cobra guy, or something."  
Amy nodded, and then realized Evan couldn't see her. "Thank you for appreciating how I feel," she said. "And I'll keep an eye on myself. Evan, don't even worry about Ian Kabra. I haven't even talked to him in the past year. He's a jerk."

Amy could sense Evan grinning.

"Thanks for talking to me, Amy," Evan told her. "And you're right: Ian is a jerk."

The two exchanged their goodbyes, and Amy returned to her food, feeling satisfied.


	3. He Did Not Like Her

Ian sat with on his desk chair, thoughtfully stroking his new white poodle, Diamond. Diamond was still just a puppy, and she was sitting in Ian's lap.

Ian closed his amber eyes, wondering why he had sent the inspector after Saladin. It wasn't as though he cared for Amy or Dan, or the cat, for that matter. But what on earth had he been thinking in that moment of pure resolve?

"I don't like Amy," Ian said aloud to himself, and then chuckled at the childish nature of that sentence. Of _course_ he didn't fancy Amy. She wasn't of his status. She had a terrible stutter. She lived on the other side of the world, for goodness' sake. And wasn't she dating someone already? That Devon, or Evan boy. Ian shook his head. That boy had terrible taste. Coke-bottle glasses? It didn't get much worse than that.

Ian's eyes snapped open. Why was he acting jealous of Evan? He wasn't jealous of Evan. He couldn't be. Love was F.L.O. For Losers Only.

The sixteen-year-old wished Amy hadn't sent him that bloody "lost cat" email. It was getting on his nerves.

Suddenly, Ian's phone buzzed. _Inspector Blackhorn_, the caller ID said. Ian grabbed his phone and said, "I'll be right down."

Ian jogged down the grand staircase. He passed Natalie, who was, in her room, on dresses with one of her rich friends. Ian smiled a bit, watching his sister giggle with Emma, the friend.

He entered the dining hall, where Inspector Blackhorn was waiting. The broad-chested man was rubbing his short gray beard. He looked up at Ian and stood.

"Mr. Kabra," Blackhorn said respectfully.

Ian nodded in greeting. "Any news on the cat?"

"Well," Blackhorn began, "I've informed all of my people who are living in the Massachusetts area, because the cat resides in Boston. They are a bit confused as to why I am so intent on finding a cat, but that is to be expected. Sir Ian, may I ask…" Blackhorn paused, waiting for any sign of disapproval from Ian, but the sixteen-year-old kept his face free of emotion. Blackhorn continued. "May I ask _why_ exactly I am being asked to search for a cat? It may help if I know the reason…"

Ian opened his mouth to make a snide remark, but closed it when he realized that he, in fact, _didn't _know why he wanted to find Saladin. It all led back to Amy Cahill. But Ian didn't fancy her. So why did he want to find the cat so much?  
It wasn't as much finding Saladin, Ian realized, as it was presenting the cat to its owners. Ian wanted to be the one to heroically swoop in and save the day. For Amy.

_But he didn't like Amy_.


	4. The Reply

Amy yawned, sitting up in bed. She smiled, thinking of the Egyptian Mau that would be waiting for her in the kitchen. Then it hit her. Saladin was missing. Saladin wouldn't be here for breakfast. Or lunch. Or even dinner.

Amy lowered her head, feeling her eyes grow warm and watery. She sighed and collapsed out of bed. She showered, changed, and brushed her teeth, and then headed to the kitchen where Nellie was preparing pancakes.

"Hi, Nellie," Amy said tiredly, plopping down at the table. She reached forward and grabbed her favorite book, _The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle_, off of the middle of the table and opened it up to the beginning of the fourth chapter. Reading about Charlotte's troubles was so much easier than dealing with her own.

"Hey, little ninja," Nellie responded, swaying her hips from side to side like a hula dancer. "Whoops, that's Dan. I meant big bookworm."

Dan, upon hearing his name, leapt into the kitchen, and sat on his favorite chair.

"The ninja master gives his greetings," Dan whispered loudly. "But do not acknowledge his awesomeness…he prefers to be a super ninja alone…so no one will suspect anything."

"Dan," Amy groaned, "let's have one morning without being 'greeted by the ninja master.'"

Dan shrugged and wolfed down the pancakes Nellie had just placed in front of him.

When breakfast was done, Amy went to her room to check her email – to see if anyone had seen Saladin. She opened up her laptop and visited her inbox:

_Inbox (3 emails unread):_

_Sender: Sinead Starling, Subject: Re: Saladin is lost!_

_Sender: Evan Tolliver, Subject: Re: Saladin is lost!_

_Sender: Ian Kabra, Subject: Re: Saladin is lost!_

Amy clicked on Sinead's email, which was a brief sympathy note. She hadn't seen Saladin. She hesitantly read Evan's email, which was about how he missed her and was sorry about Saladin but hadn't seen him.

Amy's brow furrowed when she saw she had an email from Ian Kabra. She knew she had sent the email to him, but she hadn't expected him or Natalie to respond. Her mood darkened. _Who does he think he is, sending emails to me_, Amy thought angrily. _So I emailed him, whatever. I was desperate. I should never have sent that email to the "Cobra." And he had the nerve to reply. He knows what's coming to him. A swift kick, that's what._ Amy smoothed her hair anxiously, wondering if she should open the email. She could have slapped herself, making such a big deal out of an email. But still, it was from _Ian._ Ian Kabra. Who Amy had fallen for two years ago. Who had held her hand proudly. Who had appreciated her stutter. Who was so unbelievably handsome, even when there was a hole torn in his pants. Ian, who had kissed her lips. Ian Kabra, who had left her and Dan for dead in an underground cave in South Korea.

Before she could stop herself, she clicked on the email. It only had one sentence:

_Amy-_

_My inspector is searching for Saladin._

_-I. Kabra_


	5. America

Ian sat at his desk with Diamond on his lap once again. He stared at his computer, at his empty inbox. _She must have read it by now_, he thought. _She must have read my reply._

He still couldn't admit it to himself. He wasn't supposed to like her. He wasn't meant to like her. She wasn't meant to like him. She didn't like him - she hadn't replied.

Was this Ian's life now? Sitting at his desk, waiting for an email that would never come?

Ian held Diamond in his arms and stood up, turning to face the full-length mirror beside his desk. Diamond's small, jet-black eyes stared unblinkingly at him in the reflection.  
"Who am I?" Ian said quietly to himself. "I am not a love-struck commoner. I am Ian Kabra. I am the co-leader of the Lucian branch. I am the most powerful sixteen-year-old in the world. I am not one to become caught up in romance that will never prosper. I cannot. I cannot."

He bent down and placed Diamond on the floor. She looked up at him and tilted her white furry head, as if to say, _What are you thinking? You'll give up love so quickly?_

Ian scoffed. Love. For Losers Only. "If only you could understand who I am, Diamond," he told her. "I am not one to fall in love." Diamond barked. "Two years ago, you say? Two years ago, I fell for...for _her_? That was a ploy. I never really liked her. I never really wanted to hold her hand. I never wanted to listen to her, to talk to her. I don't know why I went so far as to _smile _at her. I don't know why I..." His voice trailed off.

There it was, the questioning his motives. He had _thought_ he had known why he had gotten close to her. But he knew what he had thought - that it was a trick - wasn't true. He was only trying to convince himself that it was true.

Ian reached up and slapped his cheek. _What am I thinking? What am I doing? _

Before he could think anything else, he scooped up Diamond and walked downstairs, intending to run through polo strategies. He reached the office room and booted up the Apple computer. He flipped on the radio switch mounted on the wall, and immediately, Beethoven's 9th Symphony began to flow through the speakers embedded into the ceiling.

Ian spent an hour mapping out polo strategies. When he was satisfied, he printed out his notes and admired his handiwork.

Natalie sauntered into the room, her velvet red skirt swishing. She inspected a bright pink polished nail, then looked at Ian, who was gazing at her expectantly and impatiently.

"Hello, dear brother," she said sweetly. "Read any good mail lately?"

Ian shook his head a bit too fast.

"Are you sure?" Natalie asked, in a fake voice. "Because I saw this utterly _romantic_ email from Amy Cahill opened up in your inbox."

"You checked _my_ email?" Ian growled, his hands curling into fists.

"Well, that's besides the point..." Natalie continued, grinning evilly. "So you _do_ like Amy?"

Ian walked furiously out of the room, scolding himself for having left his email open.

He checked his phone as he walked, and was surprised to see that Blackhorn was in America, and was summoning Ian himself so that he could oversee the finding of the cat. His eyes widened, realizing what that meant.

Ian raced back into the office, in which Natalie was absent-mindedly dancing to Beethoven.

"Natalie!" he yelped, grasping her shoulders. She shrieked, saying, "What's _wrong_ with you? Are you dying, or something?"

Ian shook his head violently. "No," he assured her, "no one is dying. It's even better. Natalie, we are going to America!"


	6. The Search for Saladin

Amy sharply turned the steering wheel of the golf cart to avoid a low-hanging branch.

"Hey," Dan protested. "What was that for?"

"I did it so you wouldn't be smacked in the face with a tree branch, dweeb," Amy replied distractedly. "Saladin!"

The siblings were sitting on the front seat of a golf cart, with Nellie in the backseat, holding a can of Red Snapper. They had rented the cart so they could drive through the forest trail near their house to search for their lost cat.

Dan lifted his dog whistle to his mouth and blew hard.

"Dan!" Amy cried. "That's a _dog_ whistle! We need a cat whistle."

Dan lowered the whistle sheepishly, squinting to peer through the brush. Amy clutched the wheel so hard her knuckles had turned white. She had gotten her driver's permit five months ago, but driving anything with an engine still terrified her. Nellie had insisted that Amy should get the practice, though, so here she was, driving a golf cart through a forest preserve. She lowered the speed from 10mph to 5mph so she, Dan and Nellie could get a better look at their surroundings.

"Saaaaaaladiiiiiin!" Nellie called, to the tune of "The Fire Rises" from "The Dark Knight Rises. "Wheeeere are youuuuuuu?"

Amy couldn't resist a smile, despite the grim nature of this situation.

Dan jumped in his seat. "Look! A picnic area! Let's stop here and eat!"

There was a small eating area up ahead - just three picnic tables alongside the trail, surrounded by trees.

Amy nodded and pushed on the brake, parking the golf cart next to a table. Nellie slipped out of the backseat, toting a large, black cooler that had sandwiches, chips and boxed orange juice inside. Dan leapt out of the cart, following the food with a glint in his eye. Amy sat for a moment in the car, wondering where in the world Saladin could be. Suddenly, she heard a noise, like heavy feet pounding on the ground. It was approaching, coming nearer and nearer.

"Do you hear that?" she asked Nellie and Dan. "That marching?"

Dan nodded. "It's totally ninjas!" he said. "Wait...ninjas might try to be a little more stealthy. It sounds like the British army."

Nellie nodded, her eyes wide. "Where's Paul Revere when you need him? The British are coming!"

Amy rolled her eyes and got out of the car just as the first beams of light came from within the forest. She gasped and pointed to them. The sun was setting, so it made sense that people would use flashlights, but these lights were moving back and forth, and there were at least three or four of them.

"Who is that?" Dan asked curiously."_Definitely_ not ninjas. And I don't think the Brits use flashlights in wars."

"Dan," Amy said, "stop freaking me out." She walked over to the cooler, leaving Dan and Nellie to observe the lights. She opened the cooler and had just taken a bite out of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when she heard Dan say, "Hey! Are you guys detectives?"

She turned to see a group of five men, all dressed in black, carrying flashlights and cans of - Red Snapper?

"Yes," one of the men responded to Dan's question in, ironically, a British accent. He was broad-chested and had a short gray beard. "We are searching for a lost cat."

"Whoa," Dan exclaimed, "so are we!"

The detective nodded thoughtfully. Amy approached the group until she was standing next to Dan, who was shivering with excitement. It wasn't every day he met a secret agent. Other than one who belonged to the Cahill family.

"Have you seen an Egyptian Mau?" the detective asked, glancing around. "It is a male - all gray with dark spots scattered about its fur."

Amy's mouth opened. That sounded like Saladin! Were these people searching for him? How did they know to - then she remembered Ian's email. She cleared her throat.

"D-d-do you know anyone n-named Ian K-Kabra?" she asked, silently cursing her stutter.

The detective nodded. "He is our employer. Are you, by any chance, Amy Cahill?"

Amy nodded, avoiding Dan's curious gaze.

"I am Inspector Blackhorn," the detective said. "Come with me."

Ten minutes later, Amy, Dan, Nellie, and Inspector Blackhorn were sitting in the Cahills' living room.

"When did you last see the cat?" Blackhorn asked.

"I was getting the mail," Dan volunteered. "I opened the door and Saladin just raced out, like a cheetah. I don't know what was up with him. Maybe he saw a mouse, or something."

"You say he likes Red Snapper," the inspector continued, "but also responds to sushi...and what else?"

"Hummus, barramundi, and Russian caviar," Nellie rattled off. "And sometimes he'll eat cat food."

Amy had been silent through the interrogation so far. These were Ian's people. He had sent them? Why? Why did he care whether Saladin was found or not? He didn't like her, she was sure about that. He despised her. He had double-crossed her. He was a Kabra. He was ruthless.

Blackhorn asked a few more questions about Saladin's sleeping habits and characteristics until the doorbell suddenly rang. Amy's head jerked up in surprise.

"I'll g-get it..." she said, glad to leave this conversation. It made her too sad, thinking about Saladin lost out somewhere in Massachusetts. She took her time walking through the entry hall, and then unlocked the door. She pulled it open and almost fell over in shock at what she saw.

"Hello, love," said Ian Kabra.


	7. The Visitor

The flight on the Kabra jet had been fair enough. It would have been better had Natalie not been poking and prodding Ian to explain his sudden desire to visit the United States. When she discovered the truth, she began to tease him nonstop, saying things like, "Well, _Mr. I-Love-Amy_, when's your wedding?" It didn't help that Diamond - who had accompanied the siblings to help Ian maintain his sanity while being on a seven-hour flight with his sister - was howling the majority of the flight because of airsickness.

The plane landed and Ian practically raced out of the airport, finally able to breathe. A limousine waited for him and Natalie at the front. Ian stepped in and pulled Diamond, who had gotten over her ailment, inside after him. Natalie was sitting on the other side of the seat, as far away from her brother as possible. The ride was refreshing, mostly because of the fridge well-stocked with Ginger Ale.

And after Natalie was dropped off at the salon for her facial and manicure/pedicure and Diamond was dropped off at the Spa for Dogs, Ian was dropped off at the Cahills' door, where he was greeted by none other than Amy Cahill herself.

Ian grinned, bringing out his cool and confident side. Amy stood in the doorway, her face white, her green eyes widening by the second. Ian waited for her to invite him in, and then frowned, casually putting his hands in the pockets of his black Armani pants when Amy said nothing. She did have nice hair, now that he noticed. Although...Ian forced himself to observe the fact that a lock of hair was sticking a bit too far out from her head on the right side of her face.

"I'm not _that_ good-looking, am I?" Ian asked. He tried to use that tone of voice he knew so well, the one that meant, _I'm better than you, and you should know it_, but instead, it sounded like normal conversation. The Kabra that had made so many others tremble was becoming a bit uncomfortable himself.

Amy closed her mouth and nodded, her eyes narrowing as if she was just remembering who Ian was. She backed away, allowing him to come in. He did, his frown broadening as he analyzed his rude welcome.

"Don't call me love."

Ian turned to look at Amy. She was staring at him coldly. He shrugged. This was more like it. No questioning of feelings. Simply knowing his place. Knowing that she knew his place.

Ian sauntered through the entry hall into the living room to greet Daniel and Nellie Gomez.

"Hello, hello, Cahills!" he exclaimed, his ruthless smile returning. "Miss me?"

Dan sat on his end of the blue sofa, his mouth opening and closing. Nellie's eyebrows were raised. Blackhorn cleared his throat.

"Why are _you_ here, Cobra...?" Dan was finally able to say. Ian looked behind him and realized Amy had gone to her room. He felt his spirits droop a bit, but then he focused himself on the matter at hand. Then he realized what Dan had called him. He scowled.

"Still keeping up that dreadful nickname, are we, cousin?" Ian muttered. Dan grinned, obviously glad to have angered the sixteen-year-old.

Nellie scoffed. "A Kabra? In my house? I don't believe this." She turned to Blackhorn. "And this creep is your employer? And you actually _listen_ to him? Dude. You're cray. You're a -"

"You realize," Ian interrupted, "that I haven't yet said anything today that could classify my as a _creep_, Gomez?"

Nellie glared at him. She had evidently taken some lessons from Dan and Amy. Ian walked over to the couch, making himself comfortable on the end opposite Dan. Dan leaned away from him. Ian ignored the thirteen-year-old.

"So, Blackhorn," Ian said, "down to business. Have we gathered any more information about the feline?"

Dan snorted. "Feline?" he said. "What are you, Cobra, a walking encyclopedia?"

Ian turned to Dan, ready to insult the insolent boy, when he heard a sound and turned.

"Ian..." Amy said, standing in the entrance to the living room. "Why are you...h-here?"

Stuttering again, were we?

"Saladin," Ian answered simply.

Amy walked over to stand by Dan. She crossed her arms.

"Saladin means a g-grain of rice to you," she growled. "What's th-the real reason you're here?" Her pale skin was flushed. Because of what, Ian had no idea.

Ian looked at Blackhorn, who was sitting uncomfortably in the love chair. He turned back to face Amy.

"I'm not," he started, "going to say I'm sorry for whatever I did to make you cross. Because I'm not. But may I ask _what_ exactly I did?"

Amy swallowed. She shook her head and went over to sit down by the coffee table which was situated in the center of the room.

Ian nodded smugly. "Thought so."

The room was silent for a few moments. Then, "Mr. Kabra?" Blackhorn asked tentatively. "I must be going. It's after ten..."

Ian waved him off. "You go ahead. I'll deal with the Cahills." Dan gave Ian a stony glare.

Blackhorn walked out, perhaps a bit to quickly. When he was gone, Ian stood, preparing for a speech he had rehearsed on the jet plane.

"Fellow Cahills and Nellie," he began grandly, avoiding Amy's silent gaze. "Do not make the grave mistake of thinking I came here because I care. I came because of my greed. A reward will surely be offered to whoever finds the cat, no?" Ian went on, not waiting for an answer. "And any offer of wealth is never turned down by me. Even if I am...assuming there is wealth to be accumulated.

On to more important topics: I will be staying here in America to oversee the search for Saladin. When he is found, I will return to my mansion in London and resume my rank as co-leader of the Lucian branch. However, I do need a place to stay. I would have made reservations at a hotel if there was a hotel around here that I was satisfied with. But there is not. So I shall be staying with you." Ian turned to Dan with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Daniel, you will be moving into Amy's room. And I'll be staying in your room."

"What?" Dan blurted. "The Cobra? Sleeping in _my_ bed? Someone wake me up from this terrible dream..."

Ian nodded smugly. "Yes, Daniel, it's the truth. The cold, hard truth. Now, as Mr. Blackhorn kindly informed us, it is well after ten o'clock P.M. I think it is time we get to bed, don't you? Half an hour and you must be moved out of your room." Ian began to walk through to the entry hall, then turned back to face his disgusted hosts. "By the way, Natalie will be arriving soon. She will sleep down here. On that sofa you are sitting on, Dan. And I hope none of you are allergic to dogs."

With that, Ian disappeared out the front door and entered the limousine to go pick up his sister and his dog.


	8. Lovely

Amy walked out of her room, yawning as she headed towards the bathroom. She flinched when her bare feet touched the cold blue-tiled floor. She examined herself in the wall mirror without closing the door.

Amy's eyes were narrowed angrily due to the unexpected arrival of Ian Kabra. Her normally straight red hair was tousled from being knocked to the floor when Diamond, Ian's _poodle_, had tried to lick her. Natalie, who had noticed in horror that Amy's face was so pale, had insisted that Amy apply rose-red blush. So now, in addition to looking like an angry mess, Amy looked like a tomato.

She shook her head and bent down to wash the blush off of her face in the granite sink. She sighed as the cold, refreshing water stripped away the terrible events of today. She twisted the handle of the faucet and the water flow petered off before coming to a stop. Amy reached for a paper towel and wiped it across her face, drying off any moisture that remained. Then she heard that voice.

"Ahem," Ian said, leaning on the doorframe or the bathroom doorway.

"I'm _already_ in here," Amy said rudely. She knew what Ian was like. He would try to get on her good side, so he could make her do whatever he wanted. He would pretend he was falling for her, he would make every moment with him full of excited shivers and elation. And then he would pull the plug. He would double-cross her. He would break any ounce of trust she had in him. And he would do it with a knowing smile and laughing eyes that could invite you - or exile you. So Amy intended to keep her distance. To keep her mind away from thoughts about his deep, dark eyes, his silky hair, his cinnamon skin. His smooth voice, his confident posture. She wouldn't think about that - any of it.

"Yes, love," Ian replied, evoking a scowl from Amy, "but I am the guest. And doesn't the guest have priority?"

"I already told you," Amy said, ignoring his question. "Don't call me love!"

"And why not?"

"I - it's - just don't!" Amy stormed out of the bathroom and entered her room. She angrily pulled out her pajamas and locked herself in the walk-in closet to change. She looked in the full-length mirror mounted on the door and saw that her eyes were red from anger and embarrassment. _I wish Saladin were here,_ she thought sadly, her anger slowly morphing into grief. _Then Ian wouldn't be here..._

As she climbed into her bed, listening to Dan's quiet snores from the floor, Amy thought about Ian. During the clue hunt, during Korea, he had seemed so..._sane_, so caring. Well, not necessarily caring, but not indifferent. It had seemed like he appreciated her, even liked her. And then he left her and her brother and Uncle Alistair in that cave and...she didn't want to remember it. But she had _saved_ him. Saved him, on the cliff on Mount Everest. She had let the vial with the Janus serum inside fall over the cliff, thousands of miles down. But she had grasped Ian and, with the help of Dan, hauled him back onto the mountain. It was such a quick and seemingly simple choice: Ian or the vial? Ian or the clue? And though Amy still had the Janus serum in a different form - in the scarf - her choice had revealed her unconscious thoughts: she had chosen Ian's life over the clue hunt. Ian's life over the one chance Amy ever had at an adventure, a life without Aunt Beatrice. And Amy had chosen _Ian Kabra_ over that.

But she had had two years to think about all that. To analyze it. And she had concluded that Ian wasn't worth it. And she remembered all of the terrible things Ian had done to her more than the good things he had done to her. And by far, the bad things overpowered the good things.

Never had Amy felt hatred for someone that was so _pure_, so _exhilarating_. She hated Ian. She hated Ian for what he had done to her. Her hate for him felt so strong, so fervid, so...

"...Lovely..." Amy whispered, then clamped her hand over her mouth. She looked to her right and saw gratefully that Dan was still asleep. She had said the word...the word that had haunted her for so many months. Ian's word. She saw Ian's mouth forming the word as she began to drift off. She saw Ian on top of her, his amber eyes reading hers, his black hair falling into his face as he gazed down at her. _Lovely._

_Lovely._

Amy thought only one word as she fell into a restless slumber.

_Lovely. Lovely. Lovely._


	9. A Start

Ian woke to the odd sound of birds chirping. He lay in the stiff bed for a few moments with his eyes closed, contemplating yesterday's events.

Dan and Nellie had responded to his untimely arrival as expected. They were disgusted. Nothing new. But it was Amy's reaction that puzzled him.

Ian shifted in the bed so that he was laying on his side with his head resting on his right arm. No, Amy wasn't simply disgusted, she was _horrified_ that he was there. She had disappeared into her room for a few minutes after he had sauntered through the door, probably to cope with the fact that a Kabra was in the house. Ian sniffed quietly in annoyance at the fact that almost every Cahill that he knew despised him for one reason or another. But Amy...then she had stood up to him. At least, she had tried, last night in the bathroom. He had called her love, as he did in every one of their conversations, and she had told him not to call her that. Normal. That wasn't out of the ordinary. But then she had defied his request. She hadn't even softened. She had barely even stuttered, she was so angry. Was it possible that Ian could never gain Amy's trust?

_I don't want to gain her trust,_ Ian had to remind himself. _Girls, they're petty distractions._ But even now he was having trouble convincing himself. All he could think about was the disappointment that had surged through his veins like an anchor when he realized that Amy wanted nothing to do with him.

Ian sat up in bed before he could let his thoughts go any further. He stretched, yawned, changed his clothes, and brushed his teeth before strutting into the small kitchen. He spotted Nellie Gomez at the stove, swaying her hips to some frightful tune playing on the handheld radio on the counter. Suddenly, she shrieked along to the music and flipped a pancake. Ian tilted his head, mildly impressed, before administering his complaint.

"Miss Gomez..." he began loudly, trying to get her attention.

"Laaa...do bee DOO BAAA! You have my liiiiiiiiiiiiffffeeee...OOOOOWWWWEEEEEOOOOO!"

"_Nellie_!" Ian yelped, desperately wanting the singing to stop. Nellie turned, annoyed.

"What do you want, Queen Boy?" she asked him dully.

Ian was taken aback. "Queen Boy?"

"You're from England," Nellie explained, "and you've got a queen over there. You're the richest dude across the pond, so it makes sense that you'd be the Queen of England in disguise."

"I'm going to ignore that statement," Ian replied. "Now, I'd like to let you know that it took me fifteen strides to reach the kitchen from my room." He waited expectantly for Nellie's shock, but to no avail. She stared at him blankly.

"The distance," Ian continued, "between my bedroom and your dining room is too small. Your house needs to be expanded. Goodness, it isn't even a mansion."

Nellie made a face. "I'm going to ignore that statement. Breakfast is ready." She scooped a semi-burnt pancake off of the frying pan and put it onto a plate, which she handed to Ian.

"And I, the guest, am expected to seat myself," Ian muttered. "Wonderful."

Just as Ian had started on his pancake, Amy trotted into the room, a book in tow. _Oliver Twist_.

"Good morning, love," Ian said absent-mindedly.

Amy didn't so much as glance at him. She went to Nellie for a pancake and then sat two seats away from Ian at the table. She opened her book and began to read.

"A fine choice," Ian commented, gesturing to the book. "Classic English literature."

Amy looked up upon hearing this. _That's a start..._Ian thought. _But...a start of what? I don't _want_ her to talk to me. Do I? I cannot associate with her. I've been through this too many times..._

"You've read this?" she asked, dumbfounded.

Ian scoffed. "I may be rich," he replied, offended, "but I am not illiterate."

Amy tilted her head, interested. Then, she seemed to reconsider what she was doing and a cloud of anger rippled through her face. She turned back to her book.

A start.


	10. Alone With a Kabra

Amy trudged down the sidewalk carrying her flashlight. She shined the light on her blue digital watch. _10:49 P.M._, it said.

"It's so late..." Natalie complained, "my stilettos are _hurting_ my _feet_..."

"Quiet, Nat," Dan shot at her, "Saladin's going to get scared away if you keep complaining."

"Why can't we just go back?" Natalie whined. "And my name is _not_ Nat!"

"Do you even _care_ about Saladin?" Dan asked incredulously. "Nat," he added.

The two bickered back and forth. Nellie, walking on Amy's left side, cleared her throat.

"I've got to do some stuff at home, kiddo," she told Amy quietly. "I trust you to be the leader of the group. You're sixteen, after all. Just stick together, kay?"

Amy nodded, not wanting Nellie to leave. But Nellie turned around anyway. She allowed Natalie to come with her. Then, Dan complained about how if Natalie got to go home and go to bed, he should, too. So within twenty seconds, Amy was left alone with the one person she absolutely did not want to be left alone with.

Ian.

Amy and Ian had stopped to wave goodbye to everyone who was going back home. Now, Ian looked at Amy.

"I suppose we should keep looking," he muttered.

Amy nodded. She couldn't believe she was so desperate to find Saladin that she was willing to spend an hour alone at night with Ian looking for him. But she was.

The two began to walk. Amy's hand that was holding the flashlight shook precariously. She could feel sweat forming on the back of her neck. She was uncomfortably aware that Ian was walking within one foot to her right.

She was scared. Not necessarily scared of Ian, but of the situation. She didn't know what would happen. Would Ian run off and leave her completely alone? Would he lead her into a trap? Both were unlikely, but now Amy wouldn't put anything past a Kabra. Not after Seoul.

"So," Ian began, awkwardly filling the silence. "You attend school here in Boston, I presume."

Amy gave him a look. Why wouldn't she attend school in Boston?

"Sorry," Ian said. "That was a ridiculous question." He was quiet for a moment. "I have a question for you."

Amy looked at him expectantly, still refusing to talk to him.

"I...I would like to know why you despise me so."

Amy almost laughed. "Why I d-despise you?" she blurted. "That's easy. You t-tricked me into thinking I'd poisoned Dan, you held Dan and me hostage on your yacht, you...you kid-n-napped D-Dan again, you...y-you..." Amy's voice shook as she remembered that awful time in Seoul. He had stolen her heart and broken it before he had returned it. And that proved he himself was heartless. Didn't care. A Kabra.

Ian waited a minute, and then said, "You were about to say something else. Say it."

Amy shook her head.

Ian stopped and grabbed Amy's arm, forcing her to stop, too. "Say it."

All she could feel was his warm palm against her bare arm. All she could see were his dark, unblinking eyes. And for a moment, just for a _moment_, she forgot. And then she remembered. She jerked her arm out of his hand.

"Seoul," Amy said coldly. "You left me for dead in Seoul."

"I'm sorry, Amy," Ian said quietly. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have..."

"Don't even try to apologize," Amy interrupted. "It won't accomplish anything." She felt her eyes grow wet.

"Amy..." Ian began, but he trailed off. "Your cell phone is ringing."

Amy had heard it, too and she pulled it out of her pocket, grateful for the distraction - until she saw the caller ID. Evan Tolliver.

She took a breath and held her phone up to her ear.

"Hey, Evan..." she muttered. She saw Ian's gaze drop in the corner of her eye.

"Hi, Amy," Evan replied quietly. "I was wondering-"

"Could you make this quick?" she asked. "I'm in the middle of something."

"Yeah," Evan replied. "I need to come over to your house tomorrow."

Amy wasn't expecting that. "What? Why?"

Evan took a deep breath. "..Stuff...is happening."

"What kind of stuff?" She was afraid to ask.

"My parents. Arguing."

Amy's heart softened. "I'm sorry, Evan. What about your aunt?"

"She's taking sides. It's even worse when she's at my house."

"Evan..."

"So Amy...can I please come to your house? Just for a day? Just to escape all of the drama and hang out with...a friend."

Kabras or no Kabras, Amy couldn't say no. "Yes, Evan, definitely. And...I'm so sorry..." She hung up.

Ian was staring at her with contempt. "That was Evan."

She nodded uncomfortably.

"He is your boyfriend?" Ian sounded oddly stiff.

Amy hesitated, then shook her head. Ian looked at her strangely.

"He's coming over tomorrow," she told him.

"Why?" Ian asked, his brow furrowing.

"His parents."

Ian asked for no further explanation. The two walked on, occasionally shouting Saladin's name, but it was clear that neither of them were focused on the mission at hand.

"Shall we turn around?" Ian asked finally. Amy nodded, looking at the ground.

It was a long walk home.


	11. Trickery

_Last night was terrible_, Ian thought to himself as he buttoned up his silk Armani shirt. The fabric was loose, but tight enough that Ian didn't look as though he was swimming in it. He admired himself in the full-length mirror.

_Dashing_, he thought, smiling slightly. He frowned, though, when he heard a door open and then close from the hallway. It was probably her. Amy.

Last night. Last night proved why Love was For Losers Only. Last night showed Ian plainly what happened when he fell for someone.

He was used to girls. He was used to girls doting on him. He was used to receiving more than fifty valentines on Valentines Day - not only from girls he knew, but from fans who watched him on TV. He had signed up for a reality TV show a summer ago called _Richie Riche$t_, but the producer kept making Ian do such ridiculous things, like purchasing items he didn't even want, that Ian decided he would quit. However, resulting from that, Ian got two hundred more followers on CliqueMe, most of them girls who posted things like, _OMG UR SO HOT IAN! 3_

It did get tiring sometimes, but it was entertaining.

But Amy, she was different. This was the second time Ian felt..._something_...when he was around her. It was a nice feeling. Like his stomach was being pulled in different directions...it was hard to explain. But he could not let himself feel like that.

But...could he? Ian sighed, not for the first time. He turned and knelt, looking at delicate little Diamond, who sleepily yawned and trotted over to him from her bed. Diamond leapt into his arms, her tongue lolling. _Even my dog fancies me_, Ian thought glumly, _but why doesn't Amy?_

Ian stood in realization. _But...I don't _have_ to pretend I don't like her...last time she thought I was pretending...and she hated me for it. And afterwards, I realized my mistake - for a bit, at least - and gave up on her. So I'll replay that incident. I intend to let Amy fall for me, and force her to hate me...and then I will be sure of my feelings_...

Ian shook his head, grinning. Feelings, such peevish things. He was already thinking of phrases he might use to play Amy into his hands...how easy this was going to be.


	12. The New Ian

"Hi, Evan," Amy exclaimed as she ushered her friend inside. "How are you?"

Evan gave Amy a knowing smile. "Can you guess?"

"...Well..." Amy faltered. "Yeah. Sorry...about that..." She tilted her head. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Thanks," Evan said, allowing himself into the kitchen.

Amy paused in the entry hall, looking out the front window at the limousine that was about to leave. She had told the Kabras to make themselves scarce when Evan was here...she didn't want any _events_ arising. Natalie Kabra was already inside the vehicle, but Ian was standing on the front walk, about to enter the car. He suddenly turned and looked back at Amy. She felt a strange shiver dance up her spine, but disregarded it and hurried into the kitchen where Dan, Nellie, and Evan were waiting.

Amy felt her face grow warm when she saw Evan smiling at her, a glass of water in his hand. A strand of his streaked brown hair hung over his forehead casually. She looked away, blushing.

"So, Glasses," Amy heard Dan say. "Long time no talk! Remember me, the dweeb?"

Amy heard Evan laugh like the good-natured person he was, and say, "How could I forget you, Dan the ninja?"

Nellie handed Amy a chocolate chip cookie with a grin.

"Dan," Nellie said, "Can you help me, uh, water the plants?"

"What?" Dan said.

"Water the plants," Nellie hissed. "Now!"

Dan followed her out of the kitchen. "...but...we don't have any plants. Do we?"

Amy felt herself becoming hyperaware of Evan's presence. He calmly pulled out a chair for her, and she sat in it before he took a chair out for himself.

"Hey," he said kindly. "Any news on Saladin?"

"No..." Amy replied. "But Ian-" She stopped herself, realizing what she had almost said.

"What?" Evan asked, adjusting his glasses in a way that made Amy's heart skip a beat.

"Um...I-I am looking for him..." Amy mumbled. _I can't tell Evan that Ian's here..._

Just then, the front door burst open and a tall, slim figure leapt into the kitchen.

"Sorry," yelped Ian Kabra. "I forgot something!" Amy felt her breath stop. Hadn't she told Ian to stay out of the house today?

Amy saw Evan tense next to her in the corner of her eye as Ian slowly made his way to the refrigerator. He took his time opening the door. The room was deafeningly silent. Then, Ian turned and said the worst possible thing to Amy.

"Oh, hello, Love."

Amy sank in her chair and Evan turned to her, dumbfounded. Ian grinned and leaned against the refrigerator.

"Nice day, isn't it?" he asked.

Evan stood up. "...What are _you_ doing here? You're Ian Kabra, right?" he said to Ian, who nodded smugly. Amy noted nervously that Ian was a few inches taller than already tall Evan.

"You're the guy who tried to kill Amy and Dan...more than once," Evan growled.

"It was all a silly little game," Ian said lightly.

Amy felt the tension growing in the room, most of it emanating from Evan. He was breathing slowly, keeping his cool, but Amy could sense the disbelief echoing from him. Why was Ian here, ruining Evan's visit? Evan had come here to escape a fight, not to be involved in one.

"A game," Evan said, "a game in which people got hurt, people _died_. A game that involved _wars_. And you call that silly? You call that a game?"

"We all have our names for things, don't we?" Ian said, the ends of his lips curling upwards. "Like your name for Amy is Amy, and my name for her is..._Love_."

That did it for Evan. He whirled around, and seeing the desperate look on Amy's face, softened his gaze. But he muttered, "I'm sorry - later..." and strode out of the kitchen and out the front door.

There was silence.

Then, "Emotional, isn't he?" Ian remarked.

Amy breathed in before replying.

"Why..." she said quietly, "would you do this?"

Ian laughed, as though he was expecting that answer. "I'm a Kabra. It happens to be what I do, Love..."

She was scared. She had to admit it to herself, she was scared of this unrecognizable person, this person who had charmed her so many times before, this person who had come so close to charming her in the past two days...who _was _this?

Amy stood, shaking, and walked down the hallway to her room. She locked the door behind her.


	13. Who Am I?

Ian allowed himself a small smile as he leaned against the refrigerator. Things were going as expected. He felt nothing, _nothing,_ as Amy had left to her room. And he had felt...well, delighted when Tolliver had gone.

Delighted?

Ian straightened, rubbing the back of his neck. No, this wasn't right at all. He had felt no twinge as Amy left for her room...because there was no Evan to whisk her away. Evan had gone. And Ian had been _happy_ when Evan had gone.

_Why_, he thought frustratedly. _What is the matter with me? Why can't I stop thinking about Amy Cahill? What is she to me? Why...why can't I stop caring?_

Ian was jerked out of his thoughts by a loud crash coming from outside. He hurried to the entry hall and opened the door, squinting in the bright midday sun.

"Daniel," Natalie squealed, "did you honestly just drop a _watering can_ on my Bally Renova boots? These are my favorites!"

Natalie had evidently begun to follow her older brother to the house when Daniel, who was watering the roses in front with the babysitter, had dropped his watering can on Natalie's shoes. Likely on purpose. Ian suppressed an amused smile.

"I did _not..._" Dan said weakly, almost doubling over in laughter. "And anyway, if those are such expensive boots, why would you wear them _here_? Near _me_? Gee, Natalie, I knew you were dumb, but I didn't know you were _that_ dumb..." Nellie cracked a smile at that.

"Hey, kiddos," she said finally, "let's stop fighting."

"Fighting?" Natalie purred. "We aren't fighting. We were just about to come to the agreement that Daniel here was to be my servant for the next two weeks and call me _Lady_." Dan's brow furrowed.

"Excellent idea, Natalie," Ian chimed in, glad to be a part of a conversation in which he didn't have to ponder over everything he thought. "Daniel, is it agreed? It is? Wonderful. Why don't you run inside and fetch a sponge to mop up this mess you've made on the patio?"

Dan's mouth opened and closed as he bent down to pick up the watering can. He made an untranslatable noise and headed inside with a scowl. Nellie followed, with a suspicious glance at the Kabras.

"So," Natalie smirked, immediately after Nellie had disappeared into the house. "How's your _girlfriend_?"

"What girlfriend?" Ian said quickly, his face growing warm already. He turned towards the limo and began walking without a direction in mind.

Natalie matched his stride playfully. "Oh, you know, the orphan, the one with the stringy hair, the one who's never worn lipstick in her life, the one who probably doesn't even know what a high heel is..."

Ian frowned. "Natalie, stop this. You're being unreasonable."

"So you _do_ like her!"

"I don't!"

"Yes!"

Ian turned and stared at his sister. "Natalie. Stop. We are done with this insisting that I fancy Amy. I-I _don't_!"

Natalie shrugged and pranced into the house.

Ian stood for a few moments, lost in his thoughts. _Why_, he thought, _why am I here in the first place? To show Amy I care? I cannot deny it, I do...care. But no one can know. This will blow over, won't it? It's simply a childhood crush._

Just then, Amy came out of the house. Her jaw was set.

"It's time for lunch," she said stiffly. She was about to turn around and go back inside when Ian made up his mind.

"Amy," he called softly. She hesitated, then walked down the porch steps to him.

"I kn-know," she began, breathing heavily. "What you're going to try to c-convince me. That Evan's n-not the guy for me and that you like me. I d-don't buy that, Ian. Once a Kabra, always a Cobra. Nothing can change that. And honestly, it's not any of your b-business who I...like...and who I don't...so stop. Just, stop. I can't deal with this." Amy seemed to be talking to herself at this point. She turned away from Ian and held her head in her hands. Ian didn't quite know what to do. He stood there awkwardly, listening to her rant. "Saladin's gone, I'm desperate. I d-don't know what to do...p-poor Dan, with our c-cat gone he's, you know...and then you email me, and I think, well, c-can't it help? So I l-let you stay in my house...and I don't know...and Evan comes, and y-you...you..." Amy backed up, collapsing onto a bench. She rubbed her forehead, an overwhelmed tear occasionally dripping down her nose. Ian noted how graceful she looked, curled over like that, her hair cascading over her face. He considered his options. He could laugh and walk inside. Or he could...expose himself and sit next to her. The old Ian, the Ian from even a few days ago, would choose the first option in a blink of an eye. But the new Ian? _Who am I? _Ian thought. _Who am I becoming? What the Hell..._

He meandered over to the bench and sat next to her, listening to her sniffles. After a minute of the two of them just sitting there, side by side, Amy looked up, rubbing her eyes.

"Thanks," she whispered. "I think." She got up and walked back into her house, leaving Ian bewildered by his own actions.


	14. You Like Me

The hours turned into days, the days turned into weeks. Time flew by, breakfast, lunch, dinner, searching trips out on the golf cart, summer vacation half over, worried, restless nights, tossing and turning, exciting days that yielded no new findings. Blackhorn had gone back to England for a month and was coming back soon, as he had another, higher paying job to attend to. The Kabras were still there.

As time progressed, Amy found herself watching Ian more and more. After that day on the bench, they had kept their distance from each other, and could sense each others' confusion. When Amy entered a room, Ian left it, and when Ian entered a room, Amy quickly walked away. But she couldn't help but become fascinated by him. His...actions. What he had done that day that she couldn't get out of her mind. He was a Kabra; he should have simply walked away coldheartedly. But he sat down next to her!

She didn't have a crush on him. But she couldn't stop thinking about him, wanting to know him and his motivations more.

Natalie and Dan were bickering like an old married couple. Amy sat beside Nellie, chatting with her and occasionally stealing glances at Ian. He leaned back in his chair uncomfortably, pulling out his cell phone every once in a while to check for a text. They were eating dinner out. Nellie had decided that, since they had been eating fast food every day for over a month, it was time to eat somewhere fancy for once. _Le Bona Fortuna_, the place was called. It was Italian.

"When does school start, again?" Nellie asked Amy, munching on a piece of garlic bread.

"I think sometime in September," Amy replied. "Right, Dan?"

Dan ignored her, saying, "Yeah, Natalie? Well, actually, Americans are the ones that pronounce words right. Like, take aluminum for an example-"

"It's al-oo-min-yum!" Natalie screeched, grinning.

"Nope," Dan replied, "al-oo-min-um."

Amy shook her head and turned back to Nellie. "So, yeah, September."

Ian's phone buzzed for the first time that night. Amy turned to look at him. He glanced up cautiously at her and said, "It's one of my friends from England."

Amy convinced herself that she would never learn anything about him if she was always afraid to talk to him, afraid of what he would say.

"Who?" she managed.

"Some...girl," Ian replied stiffly, averting his gaze downward to type a reply.

Amy felt a pang ripple through her. She wasn't quite sure what it meant. Was she jealous? She couldn't be, right? She didn't like Ian, she never had. She nodded.

"Her name's Katarina," Ian said, making an attempt to fill the silence. Next to Amy, Nellie had gotten out her earbuds and was nodding her head to rock.

Amy couldn't help it. _Katarina,_ she thought. _What a weird name. Who would name their daughter Katarina? Who would even like someone named Katarina? I definitely wouldn't. And that Katarina? She's lame. I don't think Ian even likes her - he's probably just pretending._

"That's a weird name," Amy blurted, unable to keep her cool.

Ian's mouth slowly morphed into a smirk. "Jumping to conclusions, are you? Jealous?" He slipped his phone into his pocket. "You like me, don't you, love?"

"Don't call me love," Amy said automatically. Then she glanced over at Dan. She wanted to talk to Ian, she knew it. But...not with her brother around. "Let's, um, go outside..." Ian nodded.

Amy motioned to Nellie where they were going, and the two sixteen-year-olds stepped out into the warm night. The sun had set and the stars were glistening. Amy saw a pond with a bench next to it, a few trees enclosing it into a courtyard. A bench.

Ian motioned to the courtyard. "Shall we?" Amy nodded self-consciously. They headed towards the pond and sat side-by-side on the bench, with a fair amount of sitting space between them. They both avoided each others' gaze.

"So," Ian said, breaking the silence, "no Saladin?"

Amy shook her head. She cleared her throat. "I miss him." _That was a stupid thing to say_, she scolded herself. _I wouldn't be looking for him if I didn't miss him_.

Ian nodded in response, apparently not realizing how obvious her statement was. "I'd like to discuss something, Amy."

_Love,_ Amy noted. _He didn't call me love. He called me Amy..._

"I'll dive right into it, I suppose," Ian continued, rubbing the back of his neck. "You like me. I...I can tell. You can't look away from me, even if you try. Your face turns red when I'm near you. When I say something, you cry. Either you like me, or I scare you. I'm assuming the first."

Amy felt a sudden urge to become defensive. "I don't like you! I can't look away from you because you're-you're a Kabra! I never know what you're going to do next, so I have to...to be careful around you. My face turns red when I'm near you because-because I get angry when you're near me. And look at me. I'm not crying right now. Where did that last one even come from?"

Ian pressed his lips together and met Amy's gaze. His deep eyes saw right through the falseness of her glare. She did like him. She liked everything about him. It was crazy - since the day he expressed some kind of caring towards her, she had fallen head over heels for him. The way his perfectly gelled hair sat on his forehead, the firmness of his jaw, his dark, knowing eyes. In that moment, Amy forgot about Evan. She forgot about Saladin. She forgot about everything. Except Ian.

He laughed softly. "You don't fool me for a moment, love. Let's get back to dinner." Ian took her hand, helping her off of the bench, and then let go, striding off ahead of her back into the restaurant.


	15. Ruby-Belle

"Woof!" Diamond yelped happily. She pranced around the sidewalk next to Ian, her curly fur bouncing.

"Shut your dog up," Dan groaned to Ian. "She's _bumping_ against my _leg_."

Ian scoffed and picked Diamond up, avoiding her lolling tongue. Why was he stuck with the brother? Amy was probably miserable with Natalie, wasn't she? Why couldn't they have been paired together? And Nellie, lucky Nellie, the babysitter, sitting at the spa while the children were forced to go searching for the cat.

Today's search was yielding nothing. It was as if Saladin had disappeared off of the face of the Earth. Putting up flyers, running ads in the newspapers, going through the phone directory and calling everyone...nobody had caught a whiff of that feline.

"Cobra," Dan barked. "We're here! Stop dreaming about my sister and let's go inside."

Ian didn't bother responding and pushed the door of the animal shelter open. Once inside, he set hyper Diamond down on the ground and wrote on the sign-in sheet: _Kabra, Ian (London, England)_. He had heard from Katarina that Americans would give your better service if they knew your were English_._

Diamond, sensing how close she was to other dogs, strained on the leash. Dan rang the bell, and a high school volunteer came to the desk from a back door. She was quite pretty, Ian noted, with a round face and long, curly red hair..._Oh, goodness, _Ian thought, _now I've got a thing for gingers. What have you done to me, Amy?_

"How may I..." the girl paused when she looked at Ian. She stared for a moment, then flipped her hair and pursed her lips playfully. "How may I help you?"

Ian laughed. "Am I really that handsome?" he asked. The girl's jaw dropped when she heard Ian's accent, and her eyes fluttered. Then she grinned. Dan mimed choking himself and seated himself in a waiting chair against the wall.

"Well," she muttered, "sure." Ian read her nametag: Ruby-Belle. _Nice name,_ he thought to himself.

"I'd like to ask a question, Ruby-Belle," he said.

"Go ahead," Ruby-Belle said, suddenly all business. She pushed her purple-framed glasses up the bridge of her nose with her index finger. "Wait, what's your name, handsome?"

Ian gave her a winning smile, running his hand through his hair, and gestured to the sign-up sheet. She peered at it, and let out a chuckle.

"You know, Ian" she said, glancing at him, "you don't have to write where you're from. But seriously? London? Fancy."

"You have no idea," Ian said, raising his eyebrows.

"You know what?" Dan interrupted, standing and approaching the two. "Enough with the flirting. You can get each others' numbers _after_ we ask where Saladin is."

Ruby-Belle smiled at Dan as though he was a little kid, even though he was thirteen years old. "Sure, hon. And who's Saladin? Missing a puppy?"

Ian shook his head, cutting off Dan. "No, he's our cat. Egyptian Mau, white and grey. Likes red snapper. Have you seen a cat similar to that?"

"Well," Ruby-Belle "I personally haven't. But he might be in the back. Why don't we go check it out and see if he's there? Cute dog, by the way."

Ian lifted Diamond in the arms and haughtily rubbed her head. For some reason, he found himself growing fond of Ruby-Belle. He barely knew her, but there was _something_ about her. The only other girl he had ever felt that way around was, well, Amy.

The trio walked through a door, through a hall full of cages of anxious, yapping puppies, and sad, tired dogs. Ian felt his heart soften looking at them, thinking about his dear Diamond. He reached out a hand and stroked the dirty head of an old German shepherd, who winced at his touch. Ian resolved at that moment that he would find homes for these dogs. It was an out-of-the-blue idea, completely unexpected. But he set his jaw promised himself that he would do it, somehow. He would show the world that he had a heart.

Ian gave the German shepherd one final pat, and followed Ruby-Belle and Dan through another door, into the cat room. Immediately, he felt a fur-ball land on his polished shoe. Looking down, he saw that it was a small white kitten. It looked up at him with soulful green eyes. He smiled back at it.

"You like animals, I can tell," Ruby-Belle said to him, suddenly next to him. Dan had meandered over to the far side of the room, by the older cats. Ian put Diamond down and she tenderly nosed the kittens, who had scampered over.

"I love animals, too," Ruby-Belle told him him. "Always have. I want to be a veterinarian when I'm out of college. I volunteer here five days a week. It's a lot of fun. Do you live around here? Or are you just visiting?"

"I'm visiting to help my friend find her cat," Ian replied. Oh, no. He'd mentioned Amy. What if Ruby-Belle thought Amy was his girlfriend?

"Cool," she said, apparently not noticing the slip. She knelt down and picked up the three kittens. "These guys are always getting into trouble. They keep getting out of their cage." She walked over to a little pen and set them inside. They all raced to the food dishes in sync.

"They're quite cute," Ian observed, looking at Ruby-Belle.

"Yep," she replied, smiling and brushing off her hands on her light blue jeans. "So, let's take a look around and see if we find Saladin."


	16. A Change

"So," Natalie purred, "have you been to Barneys New York yet? If I were living here, I certainly wouldn't miss shopping there."

Amy pursed her lips frustratedly as she stepped over a branch that had fallen over the trail. Natalie was the worst searching partner ever. She wasn't sure why, but she hoped Ian was having as bad of a time with Dan.

Every other sentence Natalie said had to do with shopping or how _not with the present_ Amy was, whatever that meant.

"No, Natalie," Amy sighed. "I've never been to Barneys."

Natalie stopped in her tracks, her diamond-studded hiking boots glistening. "You-you've never been to Barneys? she gasped, fanning herself. "I feel for you, I really do."

"That's doubtful," Amy said, as she kept walking through the forest, clutching the tin of red snapper. "Saladin! Saladin!"

Natalie hurried after Amy, smirking. _How much longer am I going to have to endure this? _Amy thought. _Ugh, I wish...I wish Ian were here._ She almost laughed at the thought - just a few days ago she would have trembled with anger at the thought of Ian being beside her. But, somehow, now she wanted to see more of him, to hear him talk...she couldn't get him out of her mind. And she liked it.

But here she was, with Natalie.

The day went on, and on...Natalie complaining that her feet hurt, Amy sighing anxiously, wishing Saladin were here. Finally, it was time to go home.

Amy and Natalie slouched through the doorway. Ian and Dan weren't back yet, so Amy went to her room and combed her hair. It had gotten extremely frizzy in the hot, humid air. Just then, the door opened.

"We're back," Dan yelled through the house, "finally...that was torture."

Amy rushed over to the entry hall and greeted a very annoyed-looking Dan, and a very distracted-looking Ian.

"Hey, guys," she said, looking curiously at Ian. "How was it? Did you-well, of course you didn't find Saladin, but..."

Dan shook his head. "It was _terrible_. First I have to endure this _long, terrible _walk with a _Kabra_...and then he _charmed_ this _girl_ at the _shelter_...I wanted to throw up. They were _fluttering their eyes_ at each other, and _everything_...!"

Amy looked at Ian, not knowing what to say. He avoided her gaze, a slightly dazed look on his face.

"I have to change," Ian muttered, then brushed past Amy and Dan. Dan made a face. Amy felt her cheeks grow warm.

"He...charmed a girl?" she asked Dan quietly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, he did his whole British thing and she fluttered her eyelashes. They're, like, going out."

Amy nodded self-consciously. And there it was. Ian didn't like her. Ian never liked her. And Ian certainly would never like her.


	17. So Close

It was strange.

He couldn't decide.

Ian, Ian Kabra, girl magnet, confident young man, richest fifteen-year old in the world, couldn't decide which girl he liked more. He supposed the fact that he had asked Ruby-Belle to have dinner with him tomorrow night may have implied that he liked her more, because he had never asked Amy anywhere. But he still liked Amy. It was just that they were both Cahills, and wasn't he not supposed to like her? Weren't they enemies?

"I had better do this the Kabra way," Ian said to himself, pulling out his Macbook Air. "Pros and cons."

This is what he came up with:

Amy:

Pros: Nice-looking, thoughtful, well-read

Cons: Quiet, not Ruby-Belle

Ruby-Belle:

Pros: Nice-looking, interesting, kind

Cons: I don't know her very well, not Amy

Ian groaned. _What am I getting myself into? It's obvious Amy fancies me - her rose-red face is a certain hint to that. I am quite sure Ruby-Belle is fond of me, as well, due to the fact that she bluntly called me handsome and accepted my offer to go to dinner. But which one do I like? How must I decide?_

Ian sighed and put away his computer. He left his room and almost ran headfirst into a sad-eyed Amy. His heart softened at the sight of her wet eyes but he didn't break his confident stare.

"Amy," he blurted grandly, "let us visit the zoo tomorrow."

Amy stopped, looking at him, furrowing her eyebrows. "...What?"

"We should go to the zoo," Ian replied, "you and me. The two of us. Alone. Together." He mentally slapped himself. _Smooth._

Amy gave him a small smile and wiped his eyes. "I'd...I'd like that. B-but what about..." her voice trailed off.

"Ruby-Belle?" Ian asked, lost in a brief daydream at the thought of her.

Amy nodded.

"Ah," Ian thought quickly. "Don't listen to Daniel. He's exaggerating a bit. I wasn't flirting with the girl. Of course I was charming her - how else would I have gained truthful information about Saladin? And Daniel was simply trying to inflict anxiety on you when he said Ruby-Belle and I are going out." Ian avoided Amy's gaze at the last part, lying through his teeth. "So, the zoo? Tomorrow?"

"Yes," Amy said quietly, smiling. "Of course! I'd...like to spend t-time with you, Ian."

"Good," Ian replied. "I would enjoy spending time with you, as well, Amy." He raised his eyebrows playfully. "You never really thought I would like anybody other that you, did you?"

"Well," Amy said, her smile faltering. "I don't know. Now, I don't." Her grin was brought back. "I - I like you, Ian."

They stood there in the entry hall, smiling at each other. _This is it,_ Ian thought. _This is real. I don't like Ruby-Belle...I like Amy. Only Amy._

In the spur of the moment, he began to lean in. Amy stepped forward so their faces were inches apart. Ian felt his heart race. Amy, Amy was all he could think about, Amy Cahill, who was this close to him. He had waited for this very moment, it seemed, for his entire life. It was just the two of them in this world.

He leaned in further so his lips were almost touching hers. _Am I doing this? _he thought giddily. _Am I really about to kiss Amy Cahill?_ He paused, savoring the moment. He could smell Amy's fruity hair, feel her soft breaths against his own face. He leaned in closer and -

"Whoa!" Nellie shrieked, closing the front door behind her. "This is, like, rated R! You two!" She gestured to Amy and Ian, who had frantically pulled away from each other, bright red with embarrassment. "Go to your rooms! Now!"

Ian walked to his room as quickly as possible, nervously avoiding Amy's wide-eyed stare. Nellie was retching behind them.


	18. Together at Last

Amy couldn't calm her racing heart. She gripped the edge of the sink and stared hard at her reflection in the bathroom. She had put minimal makeup on - something that was a stretch since she almost never wore makeup normally. She noticed her cheeks becoming even more flushed and dusted powder onto her face until it was paler than snow. She shook her head and rinsed her face with cool water, the powder drifting away in the water. Her cheeks were still red.

"Ugh," she muttered to herself. "I just want to look..._pretty_ for once...is that too much to ask?" She looked again in the mirror, this time at her blue and yellow dress and her braided hair. This was not her. This was not Amy. She was trying too hard.

She sighed and pulled out the hair ties, undoing the braids. She let her hair hang loose around her shoulders. Then she jogged back to her room and changed into a summery blouse and jeans.

That was more like it. That was more Amy. She looked self-consciously into the mirror. Her ginger hair wavy from the braids, her eyes wide and anxious. She took a yoga breath.

"Okay," she told herself. "It's just the zoo. You're not going to be, like, alone with him. So stop freaking out, and go." She cautiously pushed open the door to her room and headed down the hall towards the kitchen, where Nellie was flipping pancakes, as usual.

"Hey, Nellie," Amy greeted her, noticing she was without her headphones. Nellie was probably nervous, after all. Amy had told her the night before about Ian offering to take her to the zoo, and Nellie had been worried that he was going to push her into the llama enclosure or something. Nevertheless, she finally, though hesitantly, agreed - to Amy's relief.

Nellie turned and narrowed her eyes, scoping Amy. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked suspiciously. "He didn't feed you any Do-My-Bidding serum or whatever? I mean, he does happen to be a Kabra. Kabras don't just ask pretty girls out on dates with no catches."

"Nellie..." Amy groaned, blushing, "it's not a date! We're just...going to the zoo-"

"On a date," Nellie finished, crossing her arms.

"Still," Amy protested. "I actually, well, w-want to g-go..." The stutter was coming back again.

"Fine, I'm okay with that," Nellie said, not sounding okay with it at all. She scooped a pancake into a plate and shoved it towards Amy. "Eat."

"Actually," a smooth voice purred from the hallway, "I'll be taking her to breakfast." Amy and Nellie turned to see Ian Kabra smirking at them in the doorway. Amy blushed again.

"M-morning, Ian," she murmured. He somehow always managed to look stunning - albeit a bit too formal - in his navy sportcoat and Armani loafers. His eyes sparkled, and while they were kind, they still had that haughty Kabra air that had always fascinated Amy. With a brief glance at Nellie, Ian stepped forward and offered his arm to Amy. She took it, ducking her head so he couldn't see how red her face was.

"Goodbye, Nellie," Ian called over his shoulder as they headed out the front door. "We'll see you at thirteen-hundred sharp!"

Amy gasped when she saw the limousine parked out front. She glanced at Ian, who hurriedly looked away from her and opened the limo's door for her. _Since when did Ian have manners? _she thought as she climbed in. Nevertheless, she enjoyed it. Somehow, Ian was different today. He seemed calm and relaxed as usual, but nicer.

"Amy," he said, "you do realize I have to get in, too. Move over." Well...he wasn't _that_ nicer.

The limo ride was about half an hour long, and Amy and Ian made sporadic conversation the whole way through; their words mostly covered the topic of Amy being amazed at how decked this limo was (it had soda in a cooler, a small flatscreen tv, a personal iPod dock and radio, and more), and Ian assuring her that it wasn't that big of a deal. When they finally arrived at the Franklin Park Zoo, another chauffeur was waiting for them at the entrance in a polished silver and blue golf cart.

"This is r-really..." Amy stuttered, staring at the glittering cart, "wow."

"I _do_ happen to be a Kabra," Ian said with a grin. "And Kabras only permit the best." _Does that mean _I'm_ the best girl he's me?_, Amy wondered, then dismissed the thought. She was definitely _not_ the best girl Ian had come upon. "After you." He beckoned for Amy to board the golf cart. The cart lurched forward, and Ian explained the schedule for the day. "I do happen to know you enjoy cats," he said, "so I've arranged for a behind-the-scenes tour of the big cat section of the zoo." Noticing Amy tense, he reiterated. "No, we won't be entering the enclosures. We will simply be given a closer look at the animals - no, not without a fence separating us. The tour also involves the history of the cats, which I'm sure you will be quite fascinated with." His dark brown eyes glinted and Amy felt her face growing warm, not for the first time that day.

"But first," Ian announced as the golf cart skidded to a stop, "Breakfast. Welcome, love, to the Giddy-up Grill!" He made a face and Amy suppressed a grin at the name of the restaurant. "I didn't name it. Obviously."

Ian stepped out of the golf cart and offered his hand to Amy, who took it, sliding herself out. They were standing in front of a bustling restaurant with outdoor seating. A "farm" was to Amy's left and an ostrich enclosure right behind her. She took a deep breath of the fresh air, smelling- "Pizza!" she exclaimed with a smile. Then she reddened at her outburst. Ian didn't seem to mind.

"Pizza it is," he stated, looking around - for what, Amy didn't know. "Ah!" Ian said. "Jackson, I presume?"

A high-schooler with sandy-blond hair, an inviting smile, and a "Giddy-up Grill" t-shirt on was approaching them. Amy found him kind of cute.

"Yep," Jackson replied. "Mr. Kabra?"

Ian nodded.

"So you're the special guests? Right this way." Jackson led the pair to a table with a "Reserved" sign on it. Unlike the other tables, this one had a tablecloth on it and thin pillows on the chairs. Amy's eyes widened. Ian had reserved a table for them? At a zoo? She looked at Ian and he looked back at her sheepishly.

"So," Jackson said once Amy and Ian were sitting. "Can I take your orders?"

"One large cheese pizza," Ian affirmed. "With grated cheese on the side. To drink: I will have iced lemonade. Amy?"

"Iced lemonade sounds good," Amy told Jackson. He nodded and turned towards the building.

The food came, and Ian and Amy had a rather enjoyable conversation. And all too soon, the big cat tour had ended.

As Ian escorted Amy to the front door of the house, he hesitantly took her hand. She glanced at him, a smile appearing on her face. He turned towards her, taking her other hand in his.

Amy couldn't speak. This was...this was _perfect_. Ian standing there in front of her, flowers blooming beside the walk. Was this it? Ian was finally going to kiss her! She wouldn't admit it...but she was slightly irritated at Nellie for breaking them up yesterday.

But here she was, holding hands with Ian, gazing into his eyes. He took a breath...and then let go of her, hurrying into the house.

Amy was crushed.


End file.
